Early British Actions

Changes that were taking place in Britain soon clouded the colonists’ bright future. A new king, George III, had been crowned in 1760. He was not a bright man. One historian wrote that “he was very stupid, really stupid.” He was also proud and stubborn. Worse yet, he was determined to be a “take-charge” kind of ruler, especially in the colonies. Unfortunately, the people George III chose to help him were not much brighter than he was. And they knew very little about conditions in America. Before long, they were taking actions that enraged the colonists.

The Proclamation of 1763

The British government faced a number of problems after the French and Indian War. One was how to keep colonists and Native Americans from killing each other as settlers pushed westward. No problem, said George III. Simply draw a line down the crest of the Appalachian Mountains. Tell settlers to stay east of that line and Indians to stay west of it. This was what the king ordered in his Proclamation of 1763. To Americans, the king’s order suggested tyranny, or the unjust use of government power. They argued that the lands east of the Appalachians were already mostly settled. The only place that farmers could find new land was west of the mountains. Besides, the Proclamation was too late. Settlers were already crossing the mountains. The British government ignored these arguments. To keep peace on the frontier, it decided to expand the British army in America to 7,500 men.

tyranny: The unjust use of government power. A ruler who uses power in this way is called a tyrant.

Taken from: Hart, Diane and Bower, Bert. History Alive! The United States Through Industrialism. Palo Alto, CA: Teachers' Curriculum Institute, 2011.